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Daft Triggers

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I think we should have a thread on daft triggers. The little things that have us cough, sneeze or yawn. Not the ones that send us into proper attack or anything.

Just the wee ones like someone rummaging in their make up bag at the next table at Starbucks this morning- cue cough, sneeze. Two minutes and it was all over as they'd left the shop.

Or coming down a twisty highland road with many altitude changes - makes me yawn and hiccup.

74 Replies

When I was younger I was triggered by real Christmas trees, whenever I was in a room with one I would cough and my nose would stream uncontrollably-as soon as I left that room it was all gone!!

Things that make me wheeze: some mint toothpastes and mouthwashes; overeating (just don't realise I'm doing it, until it's too late!); too much milk, cheese or cream; aftershaves and deodorant sprays.

Most of which we can't live without.

Daft things that are meant to help? Fresh pineapple, apples, coffee. I kid you not.

Daftest trigger: discovering that you don't have your inhaler with you.

Another daft trigger: cats, when you love cats.

Feather pillows. My mum would have to bring an inflatable pillow with us when we stayed at holiday cottage. She would take all the pillows supplied out of my room otherwise I would cough and sneeze big time.

Re things supposed to be good for you. During the hayfever season, our GP suggested having orange squash when we felt the symptoms were making us breathless. So for the month we were away on holiday, we bought Quosh. Considerably more expensive than usual brand and more so cos we holidayed on Arran - famous for bumping the prices up. Still, the bottles made great table lamps, once emptied and filled with pebbles from the beach ten feet in front of the house.

a pillow triggers me also.never had the problem before until son got me

a musical pillow you could attach a mp3 or phone or radio to and makes my eyes

swell up and watery .

The smelly candles in ikea. Unfortunately gotta walk past them to get to the exit. Plus the soap shop at braehead shopping centre lush it's called

Braehead - One of my shopping nightmare places. Like Newton Mearns, always end up wanting to molocate anyone that gets on my way. Trigger for losing temper if not for asthma.

If they have a Lush that's even more reason not to go. That's a definite trigger for sneezing. Affects DH too and he doesn't have asthma at all.

Ps I like Lush in small doses at home (keep supplies in a tightly sealed jar). Ikea candles in 'one of' are nice too.

Edit: added last sentence

Gussypoo - Lush is horrendous, even for non-asthmatics like myself. You can smell their stores a mile off!

yaf_user681_23350 profile image
yaf_user681_23350

Piano lessons!my Son had is usual piano lesson but couldn't speak, gave blue inhaler, bricanyl and still was bad, had to nebulise him, poor piano teacher. was fine and chatty half hour after neb.

some female scents for me overeating is one for me the smell of wall paper paste always sets it off as well lol!!!

angievere profile image
angievere

Over eating, laughing a lot. Also not having Ventolin on me if I'm out and about.

Braehead for me too! It's far too warm in that shopping centre and getting rid of the sainsburys at the end is very sad! Also something in poundland at the moment.... not sure what!

Recieving a call from my son's school regarding his behaviour.......... Still trying to recover !!!!!!!

Laughing. I was out on a night out with some friends and we got to the jokey stage where we're all swapping silly stories about work and families and I was having a bit of a chuckle and the harder I laughed the tighter and more congested my chest got. In the end I had to go outside to have a breath of fresh air, several puffs of my ventolin and try and compose myself.

Strange remedies? My asthmatic work colleague (she's been super-helpful while I'm still struggling to cope) swears by a really strong cup of tea. I don't know whether the caffeine and tannins help, or whether the distraction of making a strong cuppa stops you from getting scared and removes the emotional side of your trigger....

watching other asthmatics have an asthma attack, even if its a really badly acted one on tv, not sure if i just find it stressfull or if my lungs are just sympathetic :)

yaf_user681_23350 profile image
yaf_user681_23350

everything sets off asthma at the mo,driving me mad

stress - tell the kids to behave. I start shouting then coughing and then wheezing.

One of my triggers that I find rather unusual is Orange Juice.

I have to drink it with a certain amount of water in it because if there is just a little bit too much Orange in it then my Asthma is really affected. Does anyone else have this problem? xx

With me i always find ice cream, orange juice (fresh + diluted), milk, cheese and yogurts always make me have a coughing fits

When I went on holiday I discovered when the plane takes off and lands I have coughing fits and new carpets have made me cough badly

Out with friends for a chatty night, me as usual on the diet coke as quite gone off alcohol since taking inhalers. Seem to get light headed on just one G&T.

End of the night, lady sitting next to me got up, shrugged on her jacket. Well..I can only presume she had loads of pollen or something on it cos I instantly had feeling of too much saliva. Tried to do a mini-cough to swallow it better but not enough breath to do it properly.

It was a funny few minutes till righted itself again.

Aviation Blues

Hi folks.

Had a lovely two weeks touring far north-west corner of Scotland. So good, almost forgot I had asthma (apart from the twice daily PFs and inhaler lol).

Until a late night walk along Balnakiel sands, when from nowhere, a microlight arrived. Landed a short distance along the sand, turned and taxied back up. Feel my throat start to do its thing as he passes us. Cough, cough. Aviation fumes. Time to walk back.

Road home, breath back. In the distance, we hear the microlight start up again. See him come over the fields and fly directly over us. Cough starts again.

So there we have it - microlights. Another daft trigger :(

anything that smells of flowers regarless of whether it actually has flowers in it!

Someone got put their lavender hand cream on the other side of the room and i ammediatly had a sneezing/coughing fit.

silly flowers

At the min any perfume or strong smells are settin it off one of my mates is dertermined its eithr her perfume or her! Lol last few days its been awful feels like it did when i had that chest infection last time but im tryin top convince it it cant be

When I have a drink of orange and drink it quick,It takes my breath away and leaves me gasping

for a while. xxx

putting the kids to bed sets me off. I.m fine going in their room any other time but putting them to bed sets me off. glad its not just me with wierd triggers! Lol

New krushem drink at kfc. Gave me a really cold sensation in my

Throat, chest and stomach found it really hard to breath like a numb sensation that triggered and resolved by coughing ....

New krushem drink at kfc. Gave me a really cold sensation in my

Throat, chest and stomach found it really hard to breath like a numb sensation that triggered and resolved by coughing ....

McDonalds' cola!

As it is supposed to be Coca Cola which I don't normall react to I think it must be the plastic cups it comes in at McDonalds...or maybe the straws.

if i find somthing funny i have to try not to laugh to much as laughing is one of my main triggers

nail polish and its remover!

Edit : Also laughing now have to clap my hands instead.

plummie: laughing is definitely a trigger for me too.

stupid thing is whenever my asthma is playing up a little bit everything seems to be funnier so i laugh more and breathe less. d'oh!

recently discovered trigger: chillies? which is pain cos they are very good for cleaning out my sinuses.

Pasta, boiled potatoes, lettuce - (sounds like recipe for something. lol.) They make me cough and hiccup these days.

Inverness. Passing Slochd summit 1328 ft., highest point on the road, much yawning to the point where couldn't take a breath without a yawn and in trying to take inhaler, had much difficulty due to constant yawning. Ended up taking 2 + 4 puffs of salbutamol to get back on an even kilter again i.e. 2 with 30 seconds between, then wait five minutes, have 1 puff, another five minutes, have another puff and so on.

Further along the road and coming downhill into Inverness itself, more flipping big yawns. Took 2 plus 4 again. Made me feel so tired.

Much the same on the way back today which led to me trying to tell DH - (who's equally trying to suggest we change some of our holiday plans to miss the north of Scotland) - that its not that I'm any worse than this time last year - just I'm getting more aware of daft triggers. That at some point, I'll have it off pat ie first yawn and I'll have one puff of Ventolin and that will be all that is needed. (Crosses fingers tightly behind back).

Ah ha, now I mentioned yawning to my asthma nurse, I asked if they were linked but she looked at me as if I was daft. But if you're not breathing right you'll get a build up of carbon dioxide which I'm sure makes you yawn. I can't read a book to the kids or sing them a nusery rhyme anytime of the day, without yawning!

Not sure what triggers me , but i can cough , sneeze and fart all at the same time, oh and if my stomach aint well i can **** too , you gotter laugh :-)gaz

i agree with another reply-everything sets my asthma off so everything is a daft trigger for me-although eating anything that makes me phelmy such as chocolate or ice cream, laughing, crying, being tired well basically life sets it off very quickly lol

Im the same,crash quick and no warning,wish could have a allergy test,did ask my con.

but nothing ever came of it.

sick of being sick xxx

Don't usually have a problem with vacuuming but flipping heck, haven't stopped sneezing since today's go, half an hour ago. Runny nose and everything.

I have a few silly things...(one of which put me in hospital!)..macleans toothpaste (hello a&e..), any aerosols like deodorants and air freshners, airwaves chewing gum, household cleaners and certain car air freshners too (though i seem ok with vanilla magic tree ones!).....Im glad i dont have my uncles trigger...galaxy chocolate! my world would end...!! :D

Jinwan - can't reply to your pm as you haven't ticked box on your profile page.

Galaxy and Dairy Milk start me off. Thorntons, mint aero and Green&Black I'm fine with. :)

Going in our church sets me off!

S.Mama

Galaxy chocolate and ice cream / milkshakes! Sad times!!!

Also, Sainsbury's!!! I think it's the air conditioning (or maybe the stress) but it always makes me really wheezy. Doesn't really help as I work there! xxx

Add Superdrug to the list. Two minutes into the place and knew it was time to get out. Pronto. Only stayed long enough in Body Shop to grab 4 wee boxes of smellies for the girls. £14 for four. Hardly any puff left to climb stairs in Starbucks!

What is it with Galaxy - me too! And ice cream : ((

And again - ok with green black

can't do milk at all at moment - it's hot choc weather!

AND I can't wear my new 'faux' fur coat from Matalan.

DD brought out travel cot for the wee one and I started coughing. Had to say it was due to my cold. Then tonight, defrosting mince started me off again. Lol.

GM aka coughing Billy.

opening a window sets me coughing

hehe, my mum thinks I'm allergic to Twitter - we're setting up a new business and need to use social media to promote it but both having a bit of an arrghh moment about how to do it. For a while felt like every time I sat down to get to grips with it or my mum mentioned it I'd start coughing!

Seems to have stopped now though - think I'm getting the hang of it more or less. Well, still coughing a lot as ever, just not every time I encounter the little blue bird.

coughed like a smoker on a morning today after having to 'hurry' for the bus- mind i say hurry lol erm im on crutches and arthritic so it was more of a slightly faster shuffle. after getting on bus(no need to hurry apparently as it wasnt due to leave :( )was told by my lovely teen 'told you not to rush'.

Ice cream makes me cough but not enough for me to stop eating it.

Hmmm....If chocolate does that i stop eating it.

gill

Annista profile image
Annista

Work. Too much time spent on the phone makes me cough horribly and the air quality is so poor that I yawn all day. On a really bad day my oxygen levels get so low that it's all I can do not to fall asleep so i find myself having to wrap up and go outside. If the aircon is turned on all that does is blow dust all over the place which is a trigger in itself. Can't win!

Before I knew I had asthma, one of the places I temped had really dusty air that would set off my cough. One day, happened to be on the phone to the chap who had put in our air-conditioning and learned that in over five years, my firm had never asked for a proper clean of the system and filters. Soon as the call was over, I marched into our CEO's office and demanded in accordance with H & S that he put this right. Somewhat surprisingly, he did.

PS Frost-free fridge/freezer - when compressor starts cycle of keeping temp down and ice melting, I immediately start coughing. Sealed back to fridge/freezer but something sets me off. Dust on the top of the fridge?

get feeling of someone brushing something or air underneath nose and eyes and across cheeks ??

x

Laughing and sneezing sets me off really strange xx

Annista profile image
Annista

Riding in the Boss's Merc - leather seats!

the smell of new clothes

vacuum packed cheese - struggled so much to open it that is made me wheeze.

Countryfile last night. All those combine harvesters churning out chaff and clouds of dust. The one time I didnt appreciate clear a picture of LCD telly. Could hardly breathe for coughing my head off. Psychosomatic asthma. LOL

Wine ... doesn't matter red or white - one sip and I'm wheezing away - guess that makes me a cheap date! lol

Perfume, deodorant, air fresheners. Oh and can't go to the hairdressers as chemicals / products set me off.

Finally - Thunder how does that work? - can predict when it's going to thunder as start wheezying and get tight chested about 30 - 60 mins before storm starts.

Bleach used to clean the toilets in open-plan health centre. Smell hits you as you climb the open stairway to first floor. Even my husband who doesn't have asthma remarked on it catching his throat. Might have to have a word with them. x(

Boots Conditioning Nail Varnish Remover. Just taking off the lid released enough scent to make my eyes water and give me a choking feeling. Way too much perfume. Kind of citrus and probably due to inclusion of linalool. It's going back.

What happened to good old fashioned mini jar. Had sponge steeped in acetone? Quick in and out of finger onto sponge was enough. Had nail varnish off in a jiffy. Until not long ago, still had a jar in cupboard under the sink from when my girls were teens :(

certain types of mascara can cause coughing fits if i was fine before. >.<

Grannymo, sure I've seen those pots in Boots and I think Superdrug? Not sure what brand as didn't recognise it.

yaf_user681_32991 profile image
yaf_user681_32991

salt n vinegar crisps of all things

yet i can pretty much drown my chips in vinegar and be fine!?

squash, especialy if it is too strong.

Re: nail varnish remover

Discovered younger daughter has pot type. We are doing a swap as she loves the pads I bought.

The pink spray they use before canulating you or doing ABGs, was better before going in to resus last night!!!!!

Bump up for Squiggs!

Totally fine while work going on in the house my daughter and her family will be moving into. They were ripping out plaster and using bolster chisel on brick. No problems while working BUT the minute they started to clear up the mess, oh boy, started coughing fit to burst.

Emmajayne75 profile image
Emmajayne75

fizzy orange of any kind lol x

Dry air when I yawn, it feels like I'm inhaling dust (OK I'm not a great housewife and the dusting could be done more often) that usually sets me off! Walkers Sensations crisps (any flavour) also get me coughing.

Lovely blue and white fruit lollipop called Creamers. Too nice to give up on. Will have to sook in small doses. Wish I could crunch it up like husband always does so easily.

If all else fails, will wrap it in a tea towel and whack with a spurkle.

hahaha i had to google ""spurkle"" - well you learn something new every day :-)

seafoamwoodturning.com/Shop...

Good for stirring porridge, soup etc. Always stir in a figure of eight so as not to annoy the devil - in more practical terms, stirring in a figure of eight also prevents stuff sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Mine belonged to my mum. Its whacked and split many a stick of rock in its time. Also good for splitting up huge chunks of Thorntons toffee.

Method - place flat table knife blade across the rock. Whack the top of the knife blade with the spurkle. May take more than one whack but generally if hit properly will slice the rock in a one go.

PS Hitting the hand holding the knife may be seen as an opportunity for your nearest and dearest to be amazed at your knowledge of sweary words.

Just discovered a new...well, sort of new, trigger!

I knew I was allergic to lavender - bit surprised to find out but the hospice where my dad was had great banks of it outside and it made me cough like nobody's business.

But thought I was ok with lavender products as seemed ok with my housemate's lavender handwash. Now wondering whether I've just not been getting close enough - a friend gave me some really nice Neal's Yard lavender bath stuff and body lotion for Christmas. Opened it, had a sniff...oops. Was quietly given to someone else and am hoping she doesn't ask about it. Now I am rather suspicious of the handwash - I hadn't noticed anything but that may be because until they put the ventilation fan in, and for a bit after, I was allergic to the bathroom (cold, damp, mould...)! (In case you're wondering yes, I have been washing lol. Just quickly.)

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